Presented by Land Rover, the development cup invites professional polo teams to enter and the objective of the tournament is to provide ample opportunities for talented, underprivileged and aspiring polo players to participate and shine, perhaps bright enough to be scooped up and trained as professionals.
Paul Oosthuizen, Inanda Club general manager says, “Development has always been an important consideration for the Inanda Club. Polo is a sport which generally requires considerable wealth to progress to a high level, but there is also a great opportunity to develop and assist young polo players in South Africa.”
This year’s rules are that each team has to include at least one development player to ensure that the tournament presents a platform for the top development players in the Land Rover Cup 2015, taking place on 16 August. Land Rover will then present the winning team with a full kit.
So far, the Inanda Polo Academy has trained six development players who are now all competing at a professional level. Inanda’s shining star, Zompie Tsotetsi, comes from a development programme in the Free State and joined the academy last year as an assistant to Craig James, Inanda Club polo manager. Tsotetsi is now a professional player and coach at the club and is expected to raise his goal handicap in the upcoming polo season.
“The aim of the Inanda Club is to showcase development players in a tournament where their employers play with them. We hope that by starting like this, we can attract more sponsors to become involved with the development of players from underprivileged backgrounds,” said James.
Polo lovers should head on over to The Inanda Development and enjoy a wintery afternoon of elegance and athletic grandeur as the polo players showcase their skills on 31 May at the Inanda Club. Tickets range from R100.
Details: www.inandaclub.co.za
